Ever since I got my 94 Trans Am I've wanted to do the legendary 4L60E to T56 conversion and it wasn't until summer 2006 when finally I had the money to do it. I had done the research on LT1Tech and other web sites trying to find people who had done it and who had experiences with buying and using the big ticket items I was about to buy. I figured I'd go all out and replace the rear end while I was at it since my stock rear was snapping and clanking and grinding all over the place (car has 180,000 miles). I gave Currie a call but their 12 bolt F-body rears didn't have ABS and they wanted over $3,000. I gave Strange a try and their 12 bolts supported ABS and they only (heh, I say "only") wanted $2,300. Then it was time to get the T56. In my state of WA, there was one dealer of the transmission and they had a new one in stock for $1,800 plus a Pro 5.0 and the leather boot for a few hundred more. Finally I needed a clutch and went with a Spec stage 2 with their aluminum flywheel for $1,000. All in all, the parts came to $5,500.

There was one shop in my little town that I trusted enough to do the work since I'm stationed in Japan and can't be there to overlook progress. I couldn't find any of the smaller items like pedals and a center console so I told them to get those for me and install everything. Like I said before, the car has 180,000 miles and I told them if they come across anything that could use a replacing, let me know and I'll tell you what I want to do. I think that's when I opened Pandora's box. A few months later (they were taking their time since I'm in Japan) they send an estimate for $2,173. I'm feeling good since this is about what I was expecting. A few months after that they send an email saying the brakes need to be replaced. Not really a big deal since I had plans for them anyway. I told them to do a complete brake conversion to the LS1 brake system and they sent a new estimate for $3,971. It's starting to sting a litte but hey, brakes aren't cheap. Then a few more months later (we're at Feb. 22 now) they send a new estimate of $6,188. Holy crap this is much more than I ever thought I'd pay. They also tried to get me to buy an airbag replacement for $600 to which I quickly turned down.

The next day they emailed me back with the completed grand total of $8994.63 (!!!!) including the air bags. They said federal law mandates a working supplimental restraint and apparently my stock airbags weren't working. I once again refused the new airbags and spent a good 15 minutes staring at that total in disbelief. All the communication with them is done with email btw. I figured these guys wouldn't try to screw me since my uncle is a close friend of the owner. I asked for a bill listing everything they've done to the car with their prices, which they have yet to send me. When (if) I get the bill I'll whine and complain some more to you guys.

 

After reading that, I also think your being robbed. I am not sure what else they are charging you for, but $2k+ just for the T56 swap is outrageous IMO, especially when you included most of the parts needed for the swap. Then on top of that $1800 for LS1 brakes, come on....thats rediculous. In fact right now I honestly can even figure a description of how overcharged you were for just that stuff, let alone the final estimate of over double that amount. You need to get more info on what was done for sure, perhaps give your uncle a call and send him over there to see whats going on.

 

can I get in line to slip you the shaft as well?

 

IMO, i wouldnt do a complete LS1 brake swap. The front brakes are the ones you need to worry about. Buy them from a member here, off ebay or at a salvage yard. Mine cost around $220 for the parts, $85 for Hawk pads and $40 to get the rotors turned. It should only cost around $200-$250 to have a shop swap them.

The rear end price is about right. Expect to pay $2000-$3000 for the setup and probably $300-400 for the install.

Im not sure about the T56 conversion. Sounds like all in all they are trying to steal a couple thousand from you.

 

I paid 2100 for my 9in with 4.11 gears and truetrac diff and if you have a 6 speed in mind you def need to go the 9in route. Rule of thumb is 9in=6speed auto=12bolt.

 

I also heard most auto's upgrade their gears to 3.73's and M6's usually upgrade to 4.11's.

Thats the first ive heard of that rule of thumb. Is there any specific reason for that?

 

another thing to think about is when a shop gets parts for your car they mark up cost of parts(usually by double)just to pay for their overhead not fair but all shops do it to pay their bills/the labor rate pays mechanic that is the biggest downfall to having someone else fix your car unfortuneately too many people need that

 

I would definitely ask them for a break down of the charges. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of that is labor.

 

that's kind of a debated subject. Most do do that, but I would take a much broader look at it. Adding steeper gears doesn't necessarily mean a faster car. Some cars (i.e. most of f.i. and n2o) cars like being in the powerband longer. N/A cars you just want to rip through the gears. luckily for me, a buddy of mine collected gears, and played with 7 or so different gear ratios in his car until he found the one that worked best for him. turns out his h/c ls1 with 175 shot liked 3.80's the best. his was a manual.

 

I ran the Strange 12-bolt with my M6/800 flywheel HP nitroused stroker setup, and all was fine. Buddy of mine was closing in on 900 flywhweel HP with the Strange and an M6 setup. That "rule of thumb" is one I've never heard of before.

 

Well, as far as the brakes, they sent an email saying they were able to put on the LS1 rotors and pads but the calipers wouldn't fit. And I went with the 3.73's. I've heard people say the M6=4.10 and A4=3.73 rule for 1/4 times but I wanted to retain my gas milage. I'm also shooting for more of a corner carver than a dragger. Still waiting for the bill...

 

Is it too late to have them hold off on any of the fixes? $2K is one thing, but around $9K, might be worth it to wait until you get back to check what they're doing. Besides, you can't drive it anyways, if the car's in WA and you're in Japan...or were you going to ship it to yourself in Japan?

For $9K...you should be able to find a used LT1 or LS1..M6 to buy instead of fixing your ride.